


just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin'

by coopbastian



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: DCCW Rare Pair Swap, Dorks in Love, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Minor Injuries, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 18:46:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20101894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coopbastian/pseuds/coopbastian
Summary: Cisco tends to Barry's wounds.





	just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin'

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gaycloak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaycloak/gifts).

> Happy [DCCW Rarepair Swap](https://dccwrarepairswap.tumblr.com/)! I had the absolute pleasure to write for the lovely [trans-cisco](https://trans-cisco.tumblr.com/) / [gaycloak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaycloak), I hope you enjoy reading <3 
> 
> Title is taken from "[breathin'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN0iD0pI3o0)" by Ariana Grande, because I gotta keep up with this tradition. Beta'd by my wonderful wife [believesinponds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/believesinponds) <3

It’s two in the morning and Cisco is unable to sleep. He’s in the living room of his small apartment, watching the newest _Godzilla _movie when he hears the faint sound of knocking at his front door. It’s unusual because he isn’t exactly expecting anyone, especially at this time. He knows it’s not takeout or pizza, either, since he decided earlier to fry up some chicken.   
  
So with a groan, Cisco pauses the movie to get up and rush over to the door, swinging it open.   
  
“Barry? What the hell—” he starts to say, his eyes widening at the sight of a bloodied and bruised Barry.   
  
“Sup.” Barry greets, making finger guns at the other as if he isn’t totally in pain. He leans against the doorframe with a grimace, so Cisco reaches out to help him step inside and gets him set up on the couch.   
  
“Alright, get the suit off while I go get the first-aid kit,” Cisco tells him, leaving him for just a second to retrieve the kit from his bathroom. He then realizes that Barry is here, and not at Caitlin’s or with Iris. Why would Barry come to him, the least experienced in the whole patching-up-his-injuries thing? He’s the one making the suits and inventing weapons, he doesn’t do this kind of stuff. Sure, he helps Caitlin at the lab sometimes, but it’s not the same thing.   
  
Still, he takes the kit back over to his best friend—his nearly naked best friend, who’s now only in his black briefs—and he sits on the coffee table so that he can face Barry directly. He tries his best not to focus too hard on the finely-sculpted abs.   
  
“So what the hell happened to you, Bar?” he asks, starting to clean some of the cuts and scrapes along Barry’s arms and knees. He knows that the minor injuries will heal quickly, but it’s less painful when they’re clean and patched up. “I mean—Iris literally told you not to chase after that meta till we came up with a solid plan. Or do you just like not listening to us?”   
  
Barry gives him a rather bashful smile, leaning back into the couch as his green eyes watch how gently Cisco is handling him. “I do listen to you, it’s just...” He starts to pout his lips. “I thought I’d be able to handle it.”   
  
“You’re an idiot,” Cisco says with a sigh, finishing up the worst of the injuries. He’s not really upset, but with Barry’s track record of hurting himself after a rather traumatic event or grieving period, he can’t help but worry. “Why didn’t you at least call me for backup?” 

“I didn’t want to burden anyone,” Barry answers simply, wincing occasionally from the sting of the disinfectant. “I didn’t want anyone else hurt.” 

Cisco briefly glances up at him, studying Barry’s face before slowly wiping down his bloody knuckles. “Bar...I—you’re not alone in this.” 

Barry doesn’t say anything. They fall into a silence that’s neither comfortable nor uncomfortable while Cisco carefully wraps the bandages around his friend’s knuckles. He can feel Barry watching him, and it’s making his cheeks heat up. 

He decides to break the silence. “Why didn’t you go to Caitlin for this?” he can’t help but ask, pulling away a bit once he finishes the bandaging. 

Barry stammers over his words. “Oh. Uhm. You were closer.” He pauses. “Although, I would’ve come here either way.” He then smiles that ridiculously bright smile of his. 

“And why’s that?” Cisco gives him a rather teasing grin now. “Did you know I’d be awake watching god-awful movies?” 

Barry lets out a chuckle. “Pretty much, yeah,” he says, looking down at some of the cuts and bruises that are already healing. “Thanks, by the way. I swear I won’t do this again.” 

Even though his comment is meant to be light-hearted, Cisco reaches out to brush some hair out of the other man’s face. It has Barry staring up at him, a deep red covering his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

“It’s okay,” Cisco tells him, his voice gentle and reassuring. 

  
Cisco continues playing with Barry’s hair, still gentle. He watches as Barry closes his eyes and then he’s asleep on the couch, clearly exhausted. Cisco gets up, grabs a couple of blankets and pillows from the linen closet, and tucks in his friend before he retreats to his bedroom.   
  
—   
  
“This is gonna hurt like hell, dude,” Cisco says, holding up Barry’s right arm to prepare to pop the dislocated limb back into place. He hates having to do this whenever Caitlin isn’t in the lab to do it herself.   
  
“Just do it, Cisco.” Barry’s voice is filled with determination, but his tearful eyes say otherwise. “It’s happened before, it’s no big deal.”   
  
Cisco swallows hard. “Okay, I’m gonna count to three,” he says. He has one hand on his friend’s shoulder and the other gripping at his wrist.   
  
It’s been a couple of weeks since Barry showed up at his doorstep after going up against the last meta. Of course, Barry hurt himself _again _while training with Wally today. At least it was an accident this time, and not Barry getting hurt on purpose.   
  
“N-no, don’t count, just—pop it back in!” Barry exclaims, clearly already distressed. “Don’t tell me when you’re gonna do it!”   
  
“Okay, okay! I won’t, I swear. Stay still, Bar. One—”  
  
“You’re not supposed to count, I just said!”   
  
“Oh, for heaven’s—” Caitlin’s voice reaches their ears as she hurries into the medbay, a frustrated look on her face. She shoves Cisco over and grabs Barry’s arm, and without any warning she pops it back in easily.   
  
Cisco wants to gag, but he restrains himself from making the sound as he holds onto Barry’s knee to hopefully comfort him (and also keep himself grounded).   
  
Barry swears under his breath from the pain, but it passes quickly. He cradles his shoulder with his other hand, giving both of his friends an apologetic smile.   
  
Caitlin only rolls her eyes. “Boys…” she sighs before walking out of the room, leaving Barry and Cisco to chuckle between themselves.   
  
“You doing okay?” Cisco asks when their giggle fits subside, his hand still on the other’s knee. He gives Barry a gentle squeeze.   
  
Barry nods, leaning in to rest his head against Cisco’s chest. (He’s still sitting on the edge of the cot, making Cisco the tall one this time.) “Y-yeah, I’m good,” he says, the words coming out muffled as he nuzzles his face against Cisco’s shirt.   
  
Feeling himself blush, Cisco wraps his arms around Barry, hoping that his friend can’t hear how hard his heart is beating.   
  
—   
  
A few days after the dislocated shoulder, Iris walks into the cortex to find Barry wrapping some bandages around Cisco’s hands. She raises a slight brow, concerned. “Cisco, what happened?”  
  
“I was working on some cool gloves that would enhance my powers,” Cisco tells her without looking up, knowing how nervous he already feels with his best friend being this close to him. “I decided to try ‘em out, and, well…”   
  
“He burned his hands,” Barry finishes for him, which makes Cisco kick his shin. “Ow! What? I was answering for you.”   
  
“You burned your hands?” Iris repeats, worry clear in her words.  
  
“I’d like to keep my remaining dignity, though,” Cisco insists, glaring up at the taller man. “Thanks, Bar.”  
  
“Do we need Caitlin to get down here?” Iris asks, to which Barry fakes an offended gasp.   
  
“Hey, I handled this just fine,” he says, pouting. “I followed the protocol for burns, it’s all good.”   
  
Cisco finally looks over at Iris, smiling a bit. “Yeah, it’s all good,” he agrees.   
  
Iris, thankfully, seems to take the cue and she leaves them to it (but not without one last witty insult thrown at Barry).   
  
“I did a good job, right?” Barry says, looking back at Cisco with a rather hopeful expression.   
  
How could Cisco ever say no to that face? “You did awesome, I promise,” he tells him, using one of his bandaged hands to cup Barry’s cheek. “I appreciate my adorable best friend taking care of me.”   
  
Barry nearly splutters, his cheeks turning into a slight pink. “O-of course, Cis. I mean, I feel like it’s the least I could do when you’ve been my nurse the last few times.”   
  
“Hope you know that you don’t owe me anything,” Cisco says with a soft chuckle. He considers his next words for a moment. Being this close, Cisco starts to appreciate the little details of Barry’s face. The way his freckles spread across his skin, the way the corners of his eyes crinkle when he smiles, the way he drags his teeth nervously over his lip when he’s overthinking.   
  
“What is it?” Barry asks, not moving away from Cisco’s touch.   
  
“Uhh, never mind,” Cisco says quickly, pulling back. “It’s stupid.”   
  
“Lord, give me strength!” Iris exclaims as she re-enters the cortex, hands on her hips. “Cisco, just ask him out already. _Please_. On behalf of the entire team, _do it_.”   
  
At this, Barry flails a bit, nearly falling out of his chair as he tries to get up. “What?! Cisco wants to—_what_?”  
  
“Iris!” Cisco hisses, wishing that he could vibe out of here, but would the pain be worth it? He looks helplessly at Barry, his heart wanting to burst. “This is..._so _not the time,” he says as he stands up as well.   
  
“Oh, I think it is,” Iris says rather sternly. “Cisco, ask him out for coffee. Now.”   
  
Cisco scoffs, unable to believe that this is actually happening. He’s been looking for the perfect time to bring this up, but every time he has terrifying thoughts about ruining what he already has with Barry, and the fact that it could make or break the team, and—   
  
“Cisco?”   
  
The sound of Barry’s voice breaks through his racing thoughts and he realizes that Iris is gone once more—maybe Barry shooed her away so that they could talk alone. The two stare at each other for what seems like a long time before Cisco finally speaks up.   
  
“Barry, I…” He tries to swallow down the sudden lump in his throat, his entire body feeling like it’s on fire. “Iris is right. I know I’m so dumb for not asking you a long, _long_ time ago, but...I wanna ask you out. On a date.”   
  
Barry laughs. “Oh my god. For real?” He’s running a hand through his hair. “That’s...wow.”   
  
It isn’t the reaction Cisco had been expecting, and it makes him a little nervous. “Did I just totally ruin this—w-with us?”   
  
“No! No…Cisco, nothing could ruin this,” Barry reassures him, stepping closer to him. “I-I’ve been wanting to ask you out, too. Well, Iris and Wally have been wanting me to ask you out, considering how much I’ve been talking about you. But...yeah, I guess I got nervous every time, so.”   
  
It’s Cisco’s turn to laugh now, the sound coming out more a bit hysterical than he intends. He closes the distance between them to wrap his arms around Barry’s waist, hugging him close. Barry immediately returns the hug, throwing his arms around Cisco’s shoulders, resting his chin on top of Cisco’s head.   
  
“So...do you? Wanna go out?” Cisco finally asks, looking up at Barry.  
  
Barry nods rather excitedly. “Yes!” His voice is loud and enthusiastic and he laughs again. “I mean, yes. I’d love to.”   
  
They smile at each other, neither of them moving away, and they stay like that for a long time, savoring every single second together.


End file.
